Looking back, 2025 has been a very insightful year for me. I learned a lot about myself and even some things that changed my worldview. I also learned to think more deeply about things ranging from complicated to simple. In other words I have learned to appreciate the essence of life itself. How’s that for a serious accomplishment!

• I have finally been able to see that I am a creative person and have been throughout my life. Up until recently I have defined the word creative to mean something that is created by pen or paint and then hung on walls. I now realize that was a weak definition of the word.
• Throughout this year I have thrown off the masks I have worn for much of my life. Being neurodiverse I have often worn masks that society demands I wear to fit in. I am now settled on being just who I am. If that is not good enough for some then so be it.
• Getting to the title of this post, I am learning to constantly seek out the very essence of life. Much of life has an indispensable quality if only we try hard enough to discover it. For instance, every picture I have taken over the last 50 years has an underlying reason that I took it. In the coming year I will set out to discover essence in much of what I encounter.

Everything has an essence.

I have discovered that my secret to a fulfilling and happy remainder of my life is to discover essence wherever I can find it and then tell those stories at RJsCorner.

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My favorite philosopher is Aristotle and he had much to say about essence. Perhaps his most insightful quote in that arena is:

What is the essence of life? To serve others and do good. ~Aristotle.

To serve others and to do good. I think there is no better theme for which to spend my remaining years than that. I have learned lots of lessons in my life, perhaps it’s time to tell more of them to others.

I love the word “Essence”.